Editorial: HMA investing further in local economy, healthcare

A shift in the business plan of a major Southwest Florida health-care provider still seems to bode well for our area. Pelican Bay-based Health Management Associates plans to expand its Physicians Regional Medical Center at the Vineyards in North Naples after pulling out of a potential showdown with Lee Memorial Health System over rights to build a new hospital in southern Lee County. Given an impressive display of public support for Lee Memorial — via more than 2,000 residents' letters to state health care regulators and more than 50 backers at a local public hearing the other day — HMA's choice to consider other opportunities to the south seems well reasoned.